Dropping Evil

Every purchase you make through these Amazon links supports DVD Verdict's reviewing efforts. Thank you!

All Rise...

After extensive research, Judge Paul Pritchard has come to the conclusion that abandoned woodland cabins are not ideal vacation spots.

The Charge

Take Your Last Trip.

The Case

When his friends slip LSD into his juice during a camping trip, the
God-fearing Nancy (Zachary Eli Lint) turns psychotic on them, whilst making
claims of being able to see their true personas. As a bloodbath ensues, a
sinister corporation, overseen by the mysterious Mr. H (Devin Smith), begins to
show an unhealthy interest in Nancy and what remains of his friends.

Make no mistake: Dropping Evil is a bad film by anyone's estimation,
and yet despite the obvious lack of quality, it's difficult not to want to at
least root for the movie as it refuses to go down without a fight. There are
countless crumby direct-to-video horror titles hitting the shelves each and
every month, but very few have even a tenth of the ambition Dropping Evil
possesses, making it a little sad I can find so little to recommend about
it.

The films problems are manifold, starting with the 82-minute running time,
which in truth is a lot closer to 72 minutes. With such a short amount of time
within which to tell a story, it is vitally important that you maximize every
second. Unfortunately, first-time filmmakers Adam Protextor (director) and Louis
Doerge (writer) waste the entire opening act by filling it with inconsequential
details and a couple of crappy musical performances. Our introductions to the
three leads is just as unconvincing, as we are given little to suggest they are
anything other than badly acted genre stereotypes. Then, just as all hope seems
lost, Dropping Evil throws up a series of unexpected developments that at
the very least show Doerge and Protextor are aiming higher than most of their
peers.

What had initially appeared to be a straightforward slasher suddenly
explodes into a series of bizarre, and seemingly barely related subplots
involving zombies, evil corporations, and the apparent death of God. To give too
much more away would be remiss of me, but as the bigger picture begins to
unfold, the film is granted an unexpected level of depth that, though
appreciated, sadly isn't executed nearly well enough. With the screenplay
purposely vague as to the true motivations of the various participants, it is
assumed the viewer will be caught up in the unfolding mystery. Ah, if only this
were the case. Where I should have been intrigued, I was instead disinterested
as the film's failure to get me invested in the story earlier on severely
neutered the impact of the final act. By the time the film makes its big reveal
and things start getting really weird, it's far too late. Perhaps streamlining
the story a little might have been the answer, as frankly too many elements are
brought into play for any to be explored in a meaningful way. I understand the
urge to throw every idea you have into your first movie, but a little editing
would have worked wonders for Dropping Evil.

Visually—and even taking into account the film's minuscule
budget—Dropping Evil is at best an imitation of far superior cult
flicks (think Fulci, Romero, Tarantino, and even anime), and at worst absolutely
awful. The cheap sets mean that supposedly high-tech labs look more like a spare
bedroom, while garish computer-generated backgrounds plague an ill-thought-out
introduction to an elite group of assassins during the film's second act. The
decision to shoot certain scenes in black-and-white is nonsensical, while simple
gore effects (think decapitations and impalements) are average at best.

The cast never really impresses, with one exception. Armin Shimerman's (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) introduction
takes place offscreen, yet his delivery is so superior to anyone else in the
production that it stands out immediately. This gap in talent is only widened
further when Shimerman steps in front of the camera, when the gap becomes a
chasm akin to placing a professional footballer in a kids' soccer team. To be
fair, the cast isn't helped by the dialogue they are given, which suggests
Doerge is a student of Tarantino, as he throws in unnecessary pop culture
references and overly wordy monologues that say a lot without actually saying
anything.

Despite my reservations about the film itself, MVD's DVD is hard to fault.
The 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer won't knock your socks off, but it delivers a
clean picture with decent enough color reproduction. The stereo soundtrack tends
to be on the flat side, but is more than serviceable.

Dropping Evil ends with an extended trailer for Dropping Evil
2, which suggests answers to some of the film's loose ends—not to
mention an appearance from Fred Williamson (From Dusk Till Dawn). In a somewhat
novel move, the sequel has been split into three short films, each running at
around 20 minutes. Each of these sequels is included on the DVD, and can be
found under the extras menu. Sadly, none really sees a huge jump in quality from
the main feature, yet the shorter running time certainly makes them a more
palatable proposition, particularly as each is focused on a particular plot
thread. And yes, Fred Williamson does make his promised appearance. The rest of
the special features are fairly standard: Two deleted scenes, "The
Graveyard" and "Family Dinner" are available, while under the
"Videos" sub-menu can be found the "Indian Man" music video,
along with a faux commercial for the Valyoucorp corporation featured in the
film. Finally, four teaser trailers and the official DVD trailer for Dropping
Evil are included.

Contrary to the claims made by the uncredited quote on the DVD cover,
Dropping Evil is no The Cabin
in the Woods. Though never found wanting for ideas, the creative team of
Adam Protextor and Louis Doerge fails to gel them all into a satisfying whole.
While it is understandable to make compensations for the film's shortcomings
based on its small budget and the inexperience of the crew, that would mean
doing a disservice to other up-and-coming filmmakers like Drew Rosas (Blood Junkie) and Dustin Mills (Zombie A-Hole), who have crafted far
superior entertainment in similar circumstances. As such, Dropping Evil
is a commendable—even likable—failure, but a failure no less.